1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a piece of luggage, in particular to a suitcase, comprising a shell of at least partially rigid material and side elements, wherein the shell is embodied so as to be capable of being unfolded or unrolled and is provided on the inner side with holding elements which are equipped to hold at least one piece of clothing. The term piece of luggage does not only include suitcases or trolleys, but also travelling bags and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the case of common pieces of luggage, it is problematic for the most part to stow pieces of clothing in a crease or wrinkle-free manner. Wrinkles in pieces of clothing are generally produced by the cooperation of two factors, namely a narrow radius about which the piece of clothing is laid and/or folded, as well as pressure exerted on the piece of clothing. In pieces of luggage comprising only one storage compartment, the pieces of clothing are subjected to the pressure of objects arranged on top thereof and in the case of embodiments of the piece of luggage of flexible material, they are furthermore subjected to forces, which are introduced from the outside. Pieces of clothing, in particular dresses, suits, shirts and blouses of fabrics, which crease easily and which are sensitive, must thus be ironed or smoothed in a different way after unpacking from the piece of luggage. This can be remedied in parts, in that the pieces of luggage are embodied with a plurality of storage compartment, so that the pieces of clothing are not pressed by the remaining objects. Improvements, in particular for the transport of suits, can also be reached with the use of garment bags. The transport of such garment bags, however, is uncomfortable and they are furthermore not equipped with wheels, which would allow for the piece of luggage to be pulled. In the event that the pieces of luggage are formed of a more rigid material, an application of force from the outside is substantially eliminated. The disadvantage thereby, however, is the higher weight of the piece of luggage resulting therefrom.
For a long time, there has thus been a demand for pieces of luggage, which provide for or which at least largely support a storing and/or transporting of pieces of clothing, which is as comfortable as possible, but still crease-free.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,416,066 B2 describes a trolley, in the case of which a garment bag comprising the piece of clothing, which is to be protected, is wound around and fastened to the outside of the body of the trolley. It is disadvantageous thereby that the piece of clothing in the garment bag, which is made of necessarily soft material, is subjected to compressive forces, which lead to a creasing of the piece of clothing. The winding of the garment bag around the body of the trolley is also an extensive process, in the case of which the loaded suitcase is rolled across the soft suit and can thereby crease it easily. A bad connection of the garment bag to the outside of the trolley can furthermore lead to a slipping of the garment bag. The soft molding of the garment bag does not allow attaching wheels thereto, whereby they must be attached to the lower, more rigid surface of the trolley. The overall height of the trolley is increased considerably through this and, at best, the hand luggage size, which is maximally admissible in air travel, is exceeded. Finally, the outer dimensions of the piece of luggage can also be exceeded by correspondingly loading the garment bag and the piece of luggage can no longer be accepted as hand luggage in air travel, for example. It goes without saying that a higher weight of the piece of luggage also results from the fact that the body of the trolley as well as the garment bag are quasi embodied as independent pieces of luggage.
DE 298 07 402 U1 describes a pilot suitcase, in which an oval tube is arranged and the outer walls of which can be folded down, so that a piece of clothing can be arranged around the tube in a crease-free manner. The arrangement of a suit, for example, in this piece of luggage, however, is relatively extensive and complicated, because trousers and suit must be slid individually underneath the tube. The suitcase also does not have rollers, whereby the handling thereof is made more difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,362,807 A describes a suitcase of the generic kind, comprising a smaller inner suitcase, wherein it is possible to store pieces of clothing in a more gentle manner between the outer suitcase and the inner suitcase. The weight of the inner suitcase is at least partially borne by the piece of clothing and changes its position and hence its pressure on the pieces of clothing depending on the handling and the position of the suitcase. Hence, it is not possible to reliably prevent creasing of the pieces of clothing. Moreover, the design as two separate suitcases yields almost double weight of the overall construction as compared to conventional suitcases. Furthermore, it is cumbersome to place the piece of clothing in the suitcase through one opening flap only, so that the piece of clothing has to be turned up and folded in some places, in particular if the dimensions of the suitcase are not to exceed the internationally applicable hand luggage provisions.